Canine security system

ABSTRACT

A computerized security system which enhances the security provided by watchdogs on a given premises by analyzing the auditory and physiological indications given by the dogs to assess the level of security at any point in time. By attaching sensors to the dogs and placing microphones in their proximity the system continuously collects information about the dogs&#39; auditory and physiological behavior, and according to predetermined parameters it assesses the watchdogs&#39; physiological and emotional state. Having concluded that any of the dogs sense a threat or has been neutralized in any way the system may update the state of security on the users&#39; security terminals. The system determines between three possible security states: no alert when no irregular activity is registered, medium alert if the dogs indicate a state of moderate alertness and high incase there are indications for a definite hostile presence.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present U.S. Patent Application is a continuation application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/528,072, filed on Mar. 17, 2005 nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,180,424. Priority from the parent application is herebyclaimed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of premises security systems,and more specifically, to a computerized security system whichincorporates the ability to interpret canines' (dogs) behavior. The useof dogs in securing premises is well known in the art since dogs havethe natural ability to detect and react to suspicious activities intheir vicinity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many advantages to using dogs for securing premises besideshaving excellent detection abilities; dogs constitute a physical and apsychological deterring factor merely by their presence, or even just bythe knowledge of their existence. In addition to providing a visiblepresence that deters potential criminal activity, they can abort suchactivities and detain any persons involved. Dogs may also be trained forspecific and even highly complex security missions and can thereforeanswer special security needs.

In spite of their many advantages, dog-based security systems also havetheir shortcomings. For a dog-based security system to be effective,security personnel need to be in reach of the dogs for constant check-upand within hearing distance. For this end some systems make use ofclose-circuit surveillance systems providing full visual and audiocoverage of the secured areas, which make them costly and complexsystems.

An additional problem with dog-based security systems is that dogs tendto bark for different reasons, not always for the purpose of indicatingthreat. Dogs may bark due to the appearance of an animal, at other dogsor at a friendly caretaker. Frequent barking may, at first, cause manyfalse alarms and, in time, may cause the guards to unintentionallydecrease their level of alertness.

A third problem stems from the fact that the dogs are vulnerable todirect attacks by weapons or by use of toxins—they can be shot andkilled, drugged or poisoned. For such scenarios is required a Dog-basedsecurity systems which rely upon direct and constant visual contactbetween the guards and the dogs.

There is therefore a need for security systems that integrate automaticmeans into dog-based security methods. Such systems can then beattentive to indications given by the dogs and analyze them intoreadings of level of alarm. These systems then also monitor the state ofthe dogs on watch, and can activate an alarm whenever an attempt to hurtthe dogs is made.

New developed applications for interpreting dogs' behavior are designedfor the purpose of improving the communication between pet-dogs andtheir owners. Such a device is disclosed in Japanese Patent No.JP3083915, which attempts to interpret a dog's barks and cries andtranslate it to predetermined expressions of emotions and needs. Thedevice includes a voice pattern for each dog type. Based on comparingdog barking patterns to a database of barks, the device is supposed to“translate” the dog's vocal expressions into a range of terms.

This patent is particularly aimed for leisure purposes not requiringhigh reliability of identification and is thus unsuitable for securitysystems, which require accurate recognition of the dog's sensed level ofalarm. Furthermore, there are some major and fundamental technologicaldifferences:

The sound analysis method utilized in this patent addresses the soundcharacteristics of a single bark only, which limits the analysisaccuracy.

Each sound pattern is compared to patterns in a preprogrammed database.

The device has preferably to be adjusted to work with specific dog type.

The device relies solely on audio signals, without making use ofphysiological parameters.

There is therefore a need for a computerized dog-based security systemthat can translate vocal and physiological indications given by dogs, tothe security alarm level.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A security system and method for alerting of security situations basedon watchdogs' behavior which operates according to collected andanalyzed auditory and physiological data from the dogs. This system iscomprised of sensors for sampling dog sounds in the watchdog's vicinity,of means for collecting physiological data attached to the dog's body orimplanted in it, and of means for processing the collected data and foridentifying an alert situation. The audio data is converted to digitalform and amplified by analog to digital converter and amplifier. Thesystem then differentiates between different signal sources andidentifies single barks sounds in accordance with received measurements.The system is also comprised of a means for identifying characteristicsound signal patterns and determining alert level by comparing the soundpatterns to predefined values. Physiological data which includeheartbeat rate, rate of breathing, muscle tonus, blood pressure and skinconductivity is also compared to predefined data and the dogs' state isestimated. According to valuated data the system assesses the level ofsecurity sensed by the dogs and in case of an alarming situation theuser is notified via a security terminal unit.

In order to analyze the pattern of barking the system first filtersbackground noises, distinguishes between barks from different sourcesand normalizes the signals. The sampled barks are then analyzedaccording to the characteristics of each single bark, such as the bark'sfrequency and pitch, and according to their characteristics over timesuch as measuring the mean and variant of time intervals, bark ratevariability, barking rate and the distribution variance of the barks.The analyzing means may be embedded in the sensor means in the dogs'vicinity or remote, and the system therein includes of transmittingfacilities for enabling connectivity between its different components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the system's flow of information.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the Monitoring unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the processing and analyzing unit.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the system's sound pattern processing andanalyzing algorithm.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the physiological data monitoring andanalyzing process.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the decision module algorithm.

FIG. 7 represents a variety of possible embodiments of the user'ssecurity terminals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is a computerized dog-based security system whichreceives auditory and/or physiological signals from a single or a groupof dogs on guard, analyzes them and gives indications as to the alertlevel according to the dogs' emotional state at any given point in time.The invention is a new and efficient means for integrating the manybenefits and advantages of dogs (dogs) into an automatic interpretivesecurity system.

The system receives auditory and/or physiological signals from dogs,performs a unique digital signal processing analysis, and provides anindication as to one of several possible system alert levels and events.At the heart of the system is a series of proprietary audio andphysiological data processing algorithms, which digitally sample thesignals, filter, identify and analyze the data profile according topredetermined parameters. It can detect the vitality signs of anyspecific dog, determine whether it is alive and awake, and measure itslevel of alertness. Based on this analysis, the system can provide ahighly accurate estimation of the dogs' state of alertness in a specificlocation.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIG.1 includes three principal units: a monitoring unit 100, a processingand analyzing unit 200 and the user security terminal 300. Themonitoring unit 100 is positioned in close proximity to the dogs orattached to the dogs, it records and transmits the raw data to theprocessing and analyzing unit 200, which performs the analysis andtransmits the dog's alertness level to the user security terminal 300.

FIG. 2 illustrates the monitoring unit 100 that records and transmitsvocal and physiological signals from the dogs. The audiosignal-recording unit 110 is comprised of a sensor 111 for picking upthe audio signal from the dogs. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the audiosignal recording unit 110 may be attached or implanted to the dog orplaced in its vicinity. The physiological sensor unit 120 recordsstress-related physiological indicators from the dogs' somatic system,such as heartbeat rate 121, blood pressure 122, breathing pace 123, bodytemperature 124 and gross motor activity 125. The physiological sensorunit 120 may be implanted in the dog or attached to its body. Themonitoring unit 100 is also comprised of a AC\DC power supply unit 130,a power saving unit 140 (an electrical consumption reduction and savingunit), and a communication interface 150 which transmits the signalsfrom the monitoring unit 100 to the processing and analyzing unit 200,using a radio transmitter or other physical communication methods;(Units 200 and 100 may be joined together to form one physical unit)

FIG. 3 illustrates the processing and analyzing unit 200. This unit 200receives the data from the monitoring unit 100, processes and analysesit and transmits the output data to the user security terminal 300. Theunit monitors the state of the dog and analyzes whenever the dogexperiences an alarming situation. The processing and analyzing unit 200may be embedded into monitoring unit 100, into the user securityterminal 300 or a standalone remote unit.

The processing and analyzing unit 200 is comprised of a signal receiver210, an analogue to digital (A/D) converter and amplifier 220, a centralprocessing unit 230 and a communications interface 240. The signalreceiver 210 receives the signals from each sensor unit 100 andtransfers these signals to the A/D converter 220. The converter 220amplifies the analog signals and transforms the analog signals todigital signals. A central processing unit 230 executes the mainprocessing and analyzing algorithms. It includes an audio processing andanalyzing algorithm 231, a physiological processing and analyzingalgorithm 232 and a security decision module 233.

The audio processing and analyzing algorithm 231 receives the auditorysignals and analyses them, hence providing a calculated estimation ofthe dog's psychological condition indicating the dogs' alertness level.As illustrated in the flow charts in FIG. 4, the sound patternprocessing algorithm module 231 a processes the received signals,filters the environmental noise, and measures the energy level ofseveral spectral bands of the audio signal. The algorithm module 231 banalyzes the processed signals and identifies emotional parameters. Theanalysis is based on predetermined audio parameters, incorporates barkdetection, an estimation of the bark's fundamental frequency (pitch) andtemporal parameters including mean bark rate, time gap between barks,time variant of barks, and their intensity.

The physiological analyzing algorithm 232 processes (see FIG. 5) thereceived physiological signals from the sensor 120 and estimates thedogs' emotional state based on the physiological data, according topredetermined physiological parameters. In the preferred embodiment, thephysiological data includes the dogs' heartbeat rate 121, blood pressure122, breathing pace 123, body temperature 124, and gross motor activity125, but it may also include other physiological data such as, musclestonus, skin conductivity and so on. Algorithm 232 analyzes theseparameters for every sensor individually.

The security decision algorithm module 233 processes (see FIG. 6) thecomplete analyzed output data from algorithms 231 and 232 to determinethe state of the dog. According to these readings, module 233 determinesthe current level of security and the nature of any security events. Aspreviously mentioned, the processing and analyzing unit 200 alsoincludes a communication interface 240 which is a communication unitcomponent. This unit notifies the user security terminal 300 as to the:

Occurrence of a security event;

Dogs' state (asleep, dead, functional, level of alertness, etc.)

System functionality

FIG. 4 block 231 a specifies the flowchart of pre-processing of audiodata. The processing of the audio signal includes the following steps:first, the digital signal is passed through an array of digitalband-pass filters (BPF) with varying frequency ranges and widths. Thiseliminates noise and measures the amount of signal energy at eachfrequency band. In order to maintain a standard and consistent frameworkalong the time signal, the signal is then normalized to a given range(−1,1), in an adaptive manner.

Thereafter, the system determines if the current time frame is aqualified frame by checking whether in the current time frame the signalcontains any valid sound patterns. The decision is based on the outputof the BPFs' energy levels. This saves analyzing resources since itprevents the system from redundant operation if the signal contains onlysilence or background noise. If the frame is announced as havingsubstantial data the process continues to the next stage.

FIG. 4 block 231 b specifies the flowchart of analyzing the audiodigital data. First a sound pattern is detected. The sound patterndetected relates mainly to bark sounds, but may also relate to otherbehavior characteristics such as breathing, sniffing or panting. Thefollowing description relates specifically to barking sounds, althoughthe same analysis may be applied to other behavior patterns. The purposeof this analysis is to recognize barks when they occur and locate themon a time line. Looking for a specific amplitude pattern, which istypical to a dog's bark, achieves this purpose. The detected bark mustalso have a duration, which falls within predefined time limits, andhave its amplitude above a certain level in order to be qualified as abark. This step also helps the system to be more robust to variousimpulse and stationary noises. For each detected bark, the time-stamp ofthe bark peak and the peak value are recorded into a vector. Each barksegment is further normalized by its peak value; so all barks arecomparable in under equal conditions.

The next step estimates the pitch or the fundamental frequency of abark. In addition, it looks for stress signs in the dog's bark.

Three major features of the sampled signal are analyzed on the basis ofpitch measurement: distinguishing between barks originating in responseto threat and barks, which are a response to routine activity (such asplay, trainer, patrol or a stray cat, etc.); distinguishing betweenbarks coming from different dogs and ruling out any sounds which are notbarks, such as human speech or shouts. If a certain bark successfullymeets all of the requirements of a valid bark, it is qualified and itremains in the bark vector. Otherwise, it is eliminated from the vector.

Then, clustering may be performed. The purpose of clustering is toclassify the barks in the bark vector into groups that correspond to thepossible sources of the audio signal. This classification is mainly donebased on their pitch but it may also include other features. The sourceseparation enables to distinguish between barks from different dogs. Theclustering process further contributes to eliminating noise such asmusic, and human voices.

Finally, the clustered bark vector is analyzed statistically,calculating: the intervals between single barks, mean and variance ofbarking rate and barks distribution.

These statistic data, combined with the pitch and stress features aredelivered to the final decision module 233. The decision module 233receives features and parameters that characterize emotional andphysiological behavior of the current time frame. The decision mayresult in determining that there is no alert, that the alert is at amedium level or that there is a high alert. Alert at a medium levelmight mean that there is some suspicious activity that needs attention,and high alert means that there is a definite territory intrusion, whichmay be an indication of a security breach.

At the same time the system can analyze every dog's physiologicalindicators, as received from the physiological sensor unit 120 asillustrated in FIG. 5. The physiological parameters are analyzed todetermine the emotional state of the dog. The dog's state of alertnessmay be estimated by measuring different parameters of its somaticsystem. Being in a stressful situation causes an increase in theheartbeat rate, in the systolic blood pressure, in the body temperatureand in the breathing rhythm and depth. Monitored physiologicalparameters are categorized into three groups. Low rates on allindicators show that the dog is calm and that there is nothingattracting its attention in particular. A moderate increase in theseparameters indicates that the dog is in a state of alertness due to anactivity in its surroundings, which does not demand a special attention.High rates on these indicators show that the dog is in a state of stressand that an alarming situation has developed. In addition, measuring thedog's gross motor activity, taking into account its circadian activityrhythm and its general behavior patterns, can also help identifyingirregular forms of reactions.

Integrating the information given by the analysis of the dog's auditorysignals and its physiological status gives a highly accuraterepresentation of the security status as it is sensed by the dog.

Monitoring the physiological status of the dog also ensures having a 4′constant update on the well being of the dog and his performancerelating to security maters. Any attempt to hurt a dog, whethersuccessful or unsuccessful, will be immediately apparent and wouldactivate the alarms.

The user security terminals 300 which are illustrated in FIG. 7 mayinclude any set of integrated applications, including PC based securityapplication 330, database and logging capabilities 350, userapplications, security and alarm systems 360, an alarm transmission toPagers 310, Mobile Phones or any other communication and notificationdevices 320. It may also integrate PDA's and mobile devices 340.

Additionally, the system can be easily adjusted to address specificneeds, by training the dogs to react in a certain manner to specificsituations and by translating the respective auditory and physiologicalindications of these reactions accordingly. By way of example, if, thedogs are trained to react intensively to an approaching vehicle asopposed to any person approaching by foot, they might still bark if aperson appears, but their reaction will be a moderate one and it will beinterpreted as such by the system, whereas an approaching car will causethe dogs to give a stressful reaction and activate the alarm.

While the above description is very specific, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather asexemplifications of the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the artwill envision other possible variations that are within its scope.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by theembodiment illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legalequivalents.

1. A system for detecting a security condition, based on at least onedog behavior, said system comprising: at least one audio sensorfunctionally associated with a dog for sampling dog sounds; a controlleradapted to analyze a pattern of an associated series of barks detectedby said sensor and to determine an alarm condition based on one or moreparameters extracted from the pattern analysis.
 2. The system of claim 1wherein the controller is further programmed for differentiating betweendifferent signal sources and identifying single barks in accordance withreceived measurements.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the patternanalysis further includes determining an alert level by comparingidentified characteristics of bark patterns to predefined values.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising at least one biological sensor formeasuring dog physiological status.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein thephysiological status further is selected from the group consisting ofheartbeat rate, breathing rate and depth, dog's gross motor activity,muscle tonus, skin conductivity and blood pressure.
 6. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the controller further analyses at least one of thesound signal patterns related to sniffing, panting, or breathing.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein characteristics of barks patterns include:time intervals between single barks signals, mean and variant of timeintervals, bark rate variability, barking rate and a distributionvariance of the barks.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein thecharacteristics of barks patterns include signal frequency domainparameters.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the frequency domainparameters includes a pitch measurement for identifying single soundpatterns and differentiating between signal sources.
 10. The system ofclaim 2 wherein identifying the characteristic of a single sound signalpattern is achieved by detecting a signal energy pattern in the timedomain.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one sensor isattached to the dog's body.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein at leastone sensor is located in the dog's vicinity.
 13. The system of claim 1wherein at least one sensor is implanted in the dog's body.
 14. A methodof detecting a security condition based on detected sound samples of atleast one dog, said method comprising the step of: determining an alarmcondition based on one or more parameters extracted by analyzing apattern of associated series of barks detected by an audio sensorfunctionally associated with a dog.
 15. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising the steps of: differentiating between different signalsources; identifying single sound patterns; and comparing extractedparameters to pre-defined values for determining alert levels.
 16. Themethod of claim 14 further comprising the steps of integrating theinformation given by the analysis of sounds and physiological data toprovide a representation of a security status as it is sensed by thedog.
 17. The method of claim 14 wherein the physiological status isfurther selected from the group consisting of heartbeat rate, breathingrate and depth, dog's gross motor activity, muscle tonus, skinconductivity and blood pressure.
 18. The method of claim 14 whereinpatterns analysis includes analyzing time domain parameters.
 19. Themethod of claim 16 wherein the time domain parameters include timeintervals between single barks sound pattern, barking rate, thedistribution variance of the barks and bark rate variability.
 20. Asystem for detecting a security condition comprising: at least one audiosensor functionally associated with a dog for sampling dog sounds; acontroller adapted to analyze a pattern of associated series of barksdetected by said sensor and to determine an alarm condition based on oneor more parameters extracted from the pattern analysis, said controllerfurther adapted to determine a condition based on analyzing one or morephysiological parameters associated with the first dog or with a seconddog.